Browsing by Subject "University of Arizona. -- Dept. of Computer Science"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral history interview with Ralph E. Griswold and Madge T. Griswold
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1990-07-25) Griswold, Ralph E., 1934-; Griswold, Madge T., 1941-
    Ralph and Madge Griswold recall the development of the Icon programming language. Ralph Griswold begins the interview with a description of the evolution of Icon from SNOBOL4 during his work at Bell Laboratories in the early 1960s. In this context he describes the difficulties of developing software in a corporate environment. Most of the interview concentrates on the development of Icon after Griswold took a faculty position at the University of Arizona. The Griswolds describe the creation of the Icon Project, the project's support from the National Science Foundation, the importance of the project in graduate education in computer science and the contributions of graduate students to the language's development. Also discussed is the dissemination of information regarding Icon through the Icon Analyst and the project's interaction with the commercial software industry through two small software firms, Catspaw and The Bright Forest Company.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral history interview with Ralph E. Griswold and Madge T. Griswold
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1993-09-29) Griswold, Ralph E., 1934-; Griswold, Madge T., 1941-
    Ralph and Madge Griswold discuss how their respective educational backgrounds in electrical engineering and journalism led them separately to Bell Laboratories. Madge discusses her involvement with TEXT90 and TEXT360 in the preparation of technical journal documents. Ralph recalls the informal dissemination of SNOBOL to the academic community. The Griswolds describe Bell Laboratories' involvement with MULTICS and the movement of groups within Bell Laboratories away from GE machines to IBM equipment. From their perspectives as an employee and an administrator respectively, Madge and Ralph describe the climate for women at Bell Laboratories during the 1960s. Ralph discusses how changes in the research environment at Bell Laboratories led him to the University of Arizona. Ralph describes his effort to recruit computer scientists to the fledgling department and Madge discusses her involvement in the recruiting process and the development of the department. The Griswolds also discuss the stagnation of SNOBOL4 after the language manual went out-of-print, and their work at the Bright Forest Company with the development of a commercial Icon implementation.